Things are going from bad to worse for Tottenham Hotspur, despite a summer of change behind the scenes in N17.
With a three-week break from domestic football upon us, Spurs sit rock bottom of the Premier League table, five games into the new 2026/27 season, picking up in the dreadful place where they left off last season.
Things were supposed to get better after back-to-back 17th-placed finishes in the top flight and only just staving off relegation to the Championship on the final day of the 2025/26 campaign.
Big money was splashed out in the summer transfer window to hand Roberto De Zerbi the squad he needed to challenge back towards the top of the table once more. But early on in the campaign, the new signings have failed to gel and Tottenham are winless in five straight games to start the season.
A horrendous start has led to question marks, already, over De Zerbi's future at the club.
The Italian came in and saved the club from almost certain relegation last season, so he has credit in the bank, but the owners, the Lewis Family, will demand results sooner rather than later given they spent more than £300million on new signings.
According to the bookmakers' though, De Zerbi is now the favourite to be the first manager sacked in the Premier League.
McKenna has been spotted watching his old clubs
One of those linked with replacing him, should the Italian get the boot, is Kieran McKenna, who has been out of work since guiding Ipswich Town back to the Premier League last season. He made the surprise decision to step down and take a break from football, although sources have suggested he is ready to return to the dugout now.
He has been spotted at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Old Trafford recently, with Michael Carrick also under pressure at Manchester United, with thoughts of a change in management there too.
McKenna is understood to be open to a move to either club, should the opportunity arise, and he already has a strong connection with both clubs, having been in charge of the academy of both sides.
The 40-year-old has spoken openly about his time at Spurs and working alongside Mauricio Pochettino, who was in charge of the first team at the time.
He said: “The Mauricio period was a very good period for the club and certainly one that had an impact on me.
As a coach, having good access to how he worked was inspirational at the time.
“I moved over there when I’d just turned 16 years old. I've lived in England ever since and spent a large chunk of that time at Tottenham Hotspur, both as a player and as a coach. It's definitely had a massive bearing on me as a person. It's a great club and one that I've got a fondness for.
“So, in every different aspect, some of the people that I'm still friends with today, the area and the football club was a big part of my life.”
McKenna taking over at Spurs would be seen by many as the club bringing in the next Pochettino, given how he operates and how he sets up his team.
And should De Zerbi leave the club, McKenna would surely be high on Spurs' wishlist to talk to to replace him.
Pochettino would be open to a return to Tottenham
But rather than going for the 'next Pochettino' why wouldn't Tottenham go for the man himself and bring the Argentinian back to the club for a second spell in charge?
He has openly admitted he would return to the club, if asked, no matter what division they are in. He has unfinished business and he is the one manager who would unite the fanbase, with the majority likely to be happy to see him back.
Pochettino had a conversation with Spurs about returning last season, when Tottenham were in dire straits after an ill-fated Igor Tudor spell that eventually, De Zerbi rescued the club from. But he was unable to commit to a return given his role with the USA men's national team ahead of their home 2026 World Cup.
While he has signed a new contract in America, there is nothing major tying him to seeing out that deal, so if Tottenham were to come calling, he would likely say yes.
It’s the only club that always I am open to help. In whatever division.
“The problem was that the timings were never the best,” Pochettino said. “When I was free, I never received a contact and then when I was working, I received a contact but I cannot make the decision to come back. It was a little bit unlucky. Maybe one day the stars will align and it can happen. If I was free, of course, I come. But I wasn’t free. I was preparing for the World Cup.”
Without winning silverware, Pochettino was one of the most successful Spurs managers of the last few decades. De Zerbi will surely be given time, but if that time runs out, who better to take over than a man who has been there, done that and loves wearing the t-shirt?